


Just Keep Swimming

by LindsayIsTheCraic



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Olympics, dont look at me like that, no marcus or abby dont die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7971739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LindsayIsTheCraic/pseuds/LindsayIsTheCraic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life is a lot like the sea. It can be calm where you just drift along. It can be rough where you have to fight to stay afloat.</p><p>Abigail Walters faces many rough waves along the journey to her dream of becoming a gold medalist at the Olympics. Being dragged under the waves, she has to fight to stay afloat. How do you stay afloat?</p><p>Just keep swimming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Keep Swimming

**Author's Note:**

> This was obviously suppose to be posted during the Olympics because soccer season and school happened. Plus, you can see how long it is. Anyways, enjoy!
> 
> Shout-out to Kayla for pushing me to do this idea!

“Abby! Be careful! That’s the deep end!”

Marcus watched as his best friend, two years younger than him, swam out to the deep end of his pool. Being the older of the two, he felt that he was in charge of both of their safety. Well, as much as a seven year old could be. Both of their moms sat on the pool deck watching over the two of them.

“I’m fine, Marcus!” Abby called back, paddling on. “I was the best in my swim class!”

Marcus started to swim out after her, calling out, “Even the best can drown!”

She looked back to him. “That’s not a very good thought.”

“It’s the truth.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re such a bummer.”

He finally caught up to her and told her, “Just being realistic.”

She splashed at him as she floated in her space. “Well stop it! Dream with me.”

He wiped the water from his face. “What are we dreaming of?”

She grinned big as she pointed at herself. “Me! Being the best swimmer!”

It wasn’t farfetched for a five year old to be thinking of such goals. Marcus remembered dreaming of being the best police officer on the planet when he was her age. He would dream of the praise he’d receive, the lives he would save, and the pride on his mother’s face.

He now knew that may never be true but he did know that he could still be a great officer someday. Looking at Abby, he saw the hope in her eyes. He saw the happiness the dream brought her. So instead of saying she could be a great swimmer, he told her, “That’ll take a lot of practice.”

Her smile didn’t falter, but it grew bigger. She nodded and said, “Everyday! Just as Dory says, ‘Just keep swimming’!”

+

“Happy birthday, Abby!”

Marcus, now thirteen, held out a small wrapped box. There was even a bow on top. Abby, eleven, smiled at the gift. She took it in her hands telling him, “Thank you, Marcus.”

He sat next to her on her front porch. Her hair was up in a damp bun. She probably just had gotten done with swim practice that day.

She examined the small box asking, “No card?”

He hit her shoulder playfully saying, “Just open the gift.”

She laughed a little while tearing the wrapping paper off. He watched her, an eager expression on his face. She took the lid off the box and gasped when she saw what was inside.

Inside, sitting on foam, was a gold medal. The ribbon strung through the loop on the top was red, white, and blue. In white letters, outlined in black, repeated across it was ‘USA’. Engraved on the medal was “Best Swimmer”.

Lifting the medal from the box, she saw her reflection glisten across it. She was at loss for words, her mouth slightly agape. “Marcus…this is…”

He smiled from beside her. He nudged her shoulder with his, her eyes shifting from the medal to his. His smiled broadened a bit. “I know.”

She playfully hit him on the shoulder. “But really, Marcus,” she said, returning her attention to the medal, “this is…great. Wonderful!”

“Do you like it?”

“Like it?!” A smile was now beaming on her face. “I love it!”

Suddenly, he was tackled in a hug as she threw her arms around his neck. He laughed and hugged her back, his grin never faltering. He told her, “When my mother told me the news, I knew this would be the perfect gift.”

Pulling back from the hug, she offered him another big smile. “It is perfect. Thank you, Marcus.”

He just nodded and held his hand out for the medal. She handed it to him and he lifted it up. She laughed a bit, bobbing her head down. He slowly put the medal around her neck.

When she looked up she asked, “Well? How do I look?”

He offered her a tiny smile. “Like the best swimmer in the world.”

She let out a heartfelt laugh, picking the medal up in her hands. Her fingers skimmed across the engraved words.

“If you like this homemade one,” he told her, “then just wait till you win the real one.”

She looked up from the medal to him. He was watching her. She asked, “Do you really think I can do it? Win a gold medal? At the Olympics?”

“Definitely,” he stated. “I can see it now: Abby Walters being chanted in the crowds as you step on the podium to receive your gold medal.”

She shook her head as he rose his arms in the air, proceeding to scream her name to match his scenario. She lightly pushed him, laughing now. “Quiet! You’ll wake up the whole neighborhood.”

“It’s eight in the evening.”

“And Tom, our old neighbor, likes his beauty sleep.”

“What a shame,” Marcus joked, “I think he’s already beautiful.”

She laughed even more, a smile emerging on her face as she shook her head at him again. After a moment of silence, she asked, “But, for real? You think I could do it?”

“Yes,” he smiled at her. “If Jake Griffin, one of the best Olympic coaches, can see it, then you must be somewhat good.”

“Somewhat?” she joked.

He shrugged and said, “You’re not _that_ bad.”

Another laugh escaped her and it made another smile emerge on his face. Her smile didn’t fade after her laughter did. She said, “It’s so weird. As a kid, I dreamed of this moment. I would’ve never it’d actually happen.”

“Reality’s funny like that,” he told her, “but I always knew you were special.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Special? How?”

He smiled and said, “You never stopped believing in that dream. You didn’t let people tell you it was too farfetched to think of something like that at your age. You always had hope.”

She grinned again, looking back to her medal. She flipped it over to see another engraving on the backside. She chuckled at the familiar quote. She told him, “When someone beats you down, you get back up.”

He looked over to the medal in her hands where her fingers slid across the familiar quote. She looked to him. “Or, in this case, you just keep swimming.”

+

“Ladies, this is your medley relay team.”

Abby didn’t know how joining the swim team at her high school her freshman year would go. Marcus had told her it’s a part of life you only get one shot at, one she didn’t want to miss. He told her she’d make friendships she may keep for life and make memories that’ll last a lifetime.

So she went for it.

Not to her or Marcus’ surprise, she made easily made the team. A lot of the girls had joined the team because they couldn’t do any other sport or they simply enjoyed the sport. Others joined, like Abby, to help improve themselves.

She stood with those three girls that followed the latter.

The first was a girl named Indra. She towered over Abby. Her shoulders were broad with muscles. She was muscular all over. Abby had noted it early in practice that day. They didn’t disappoint when Indra did her time trials for the butterfly, coming in the fastest. Abby knew the strength it required to do that stroke fast and smooth.

Next was another tall, yet lean girl named Raven. She had really long legs and arms. Even though it didn’t seem like it, she had a lot of strength hidden. The combination of her long limbs and the hidden strength shined as she beat everyone in the breaststroke time trials.

The last girl was a petite girl named Callie. Abby and the others quickly learned she liked to go by Cece. She wasn’t much shorter than Abby, but still came up to be the shortest in the group. It came to everyone’s awareness that she was very flexible when the team did stretching beforehand. The flexibility and fluidity she had helped her soar past everyone in the time trails for the backstroke.

That left Abby for the freestyle. Abby was naturally skinny with long legs and arms. She was quick in everything she did and it transferred over to her stroke in the pool. She was also precise with everything she did so her stroke was never off, nor were her flip turns. It all came to ease with her and it showed as she out swam everyone in the freestyle time trials.

Besides being the best in their respective strokes, they all had another thing in common: they were in training under Coach Jake Griffin.

When Jake had heard the news he was stoked. He told them that it was a perfect opportunity to help improve their strokes but to also help each other. He told them everyone needs a little extra push to reach the milestone waiting ahead. He also told them he was considering in entering them in the medley relay race for the Olympics if everything worked out.

When Abby had heard the news, she wondered if they, four strangers, could band together for a common goal. Could someone who thought more with her heart (Abby); someone who was more introverted with a short temper (Indra); someone who was calm and easy going (Cece); and someone who was sarcastic with a joke ready at the go (Raven) band together with each other to achieve that goal?

Coach Griffin was going to find out.

+

Throughout their high school careers, they learned they could band together for their goal and more. Over the four years, the teammates grew closer together. Soon, they were inseparable.

If one of them needed help with school work, they would go to each other first before seeking help elsewhere. If they had problems with boys or girls, the other three were there to back the one up. Throughout all the hardships high school presented, they got through it together.

Through those, they learned a lot about each other.

Indra opened up to them a lot more, being outgoing when around them. She was goofy and loved to laugh. From first impressions, Indra could be intimidating and seemed to wear a resting bitch face. The truth was she was just guarded and shy when meeting new people.  They were among the lucky people that got to see her fully smile. She did, however, live up to the rumor of having a short temper when it came to ignorance.

Raven definitely lived up to being sarcastic and having a joke for everything. If you messed something up, did something embarrassing, or did anything remotely funny, and secretly wished no one saw, Raven saw it. You’d be ridiculed for it for the next week. Indra learned the hard way when Raven caught her dancing her heart away in the locker room. The incident had happened a few weeks after the group had been introduced to each other. In return for the ridicule, Indra gave Raven the silent treatment for a solid week.

In retaliation to that, the girls learned Raven was hard headed and when she was determined, she was _determined_. When she had her mind focused on one goal, she worked through every single possibility to reach it. For that week, Raven kept up her ridicule, trying everything in her power to get Indra to crack and smile or laugh or _anything_.

What it took for Indra to crack, a week later, was seeing Raven doing the same exact thing. Raven was dancing her heart away in the locker room, thinking everyone had left practice already. Indra had left her cap and came back to get it. As soon as she saw Raven, she burst into a full fit of laughter. Raven was frozen in place when she heard it. No one had heard Indra laugh like that before in their group, let alone laugh a little. It was rare for her.

After Indra had calmed down a bit, Raven was grinning from ear to ear. Indra seemed to recognize what she had done and she immediately shut down, but Raven immediately encouraged her to dance with her and open up. Soon, both of them were laughing and dancing around the locker room.

Abby and Cece had been waiting for Indra outside for a while. “How long does it take to get a cap?” Cece had asked, impatience lacing in her voice. What Abby had learned about Cece was that she could get impatient and had a little spitfire hidden beneath the calm exterior she wore. It came in handy when some upperclassman tried to kick them from their cafeteria table. Abby was annoyed and ready to argue if needed, Indra resorted to her resting bitch face, Raven looked like she had some not-so-nice thoughts on her mind, while Cece just smiled. She had told them, “Let me handle this.”

It seemed Cece was going to take the civil way of handling things until one of them had called her “little freshman” to point out that she was the smallest one. The smiled immediately dropped off her face to be replaced with annoyance. She then proceeded to tear into the upperclassman and they quickly left them alone. It was safe to stay no one approached them about their table anymore.

Now, she stood tapping her foot against the pavement as they waited for Indra to come back. She huffed a little bit and said, “Let’s go check, she may need help if she doesn’t know where it’s at.”

When they walked into the locker room, they expected to find a pissed off Indra, muttering curses to herself, angered that she couldn’t find her cap. Instead they found a scene they never thought they’d see. Raven and Indra were dancing around as Raven caught it on camera. They were both laughing and smiling big.

When Raven and Indra noticed the other two, they didn’t stop. They dragged them into the dancing mess and soon all four of them were dancing and laughing. Ever since that day, they grew closer and became best friends. They opened up to each other more and trusted each other. They became teammates.

Coach Griffin was right.

+

The first tidal wave of many to come hit senior year.

Abby received the phone call from Coach Griffin shortly after practice had ended. He had asked to meet with her along Indra and Cece outside of the school. Raven hadn’t been in school or at practice that day.

When they met up with Coach Griffin by his truck, Abby could tell something was off. Something was wrong. Raven still wasn’t with them either.

When Coach Griffin delivered the news, Abby swore she could feel her heart break. Devastation was written across Indra’s face. Cece couldn’t help the tears that began to drip down her face.

Raven had shattered about half the bones in her right foot during an accident at work. She worked in the local car repair shop. The incident had happened late yesterday evening. She was out for the rest of the season for both high school and the Olympic development program.

When the girls first visited Raven, she couldn’t help the tears that had escaped her eyes and the apologies that spilled from her mouth. They all shushed her and told her that it was alright. Indra told her, “Shit happens,” earning a laugh from her.

After all the initial emotions were out of the way, Raven shook her head. “I just can’t believe, in the most important year of my career so far, I go and fuck my foot up.”

“Well,” Indra interrupted, “half of it.”

Raven smacked her on the arm, everyone laughing. “Still, even if it’s just only half of it, I can’t swim.” She seemed to hesitate before adding, “I…I told Coach that he could get another swimmer for the relay-”

“Absolutely not!” Abby interrupted before Raven could finish the absurd sentence. “You’re our breaststroke swimmer.”

“Abby, I can’t swim right now.”

“Well it’s a good thing the Olympics aren’t this summer, then is it?”

Raven opened her mouth to say something but faltered. After a bit of thinking she said, “The doctor told me even after the surgery and healing, I may still feel pain and have a limp. If that’s the effect this has on me walking, can you imagine my swimming?”

Abby wasn’t taking any of it. Raven was their breaststroker, not some random add on. She was their friend, she was their teammate.

“You’re Raven Reyes,” Abby told her. “You always find another way. This isn’t any different.”

Raven looked down to where her foot was in a cast, propped up by pillows. She looked back to her three friends, her three teammates. A little smile formed on her lips. “Just keep swimming, right?”

All three nodded with smiles on their faces. They replied in unison, “Just keep swimming.”

+

Recovery wasn’t easy.

It was long. That included the physical therapy sessions and the recovery time. But, throughout the whole time, the three were there for Raven.

They were there for when she could start physical therapy sitting down, for when she first stood again on her own with crutches, for when she stood without any support, for when she began to walk again, and for when she first got back into the pool.

She did have a limp and she did experience pain, but she worked through it. She knew she was working towards less pain and back towards her dream. She knew she had her teammates, her family, and her coach that would help her along the way.

In no time, Raven was back to the way she knew how to swim: smoothly and swiftly.  

To celebrate, the four of them went out to get tattoos of a saying that helped them get through this tidal wave together.

On the inner part of their left wrist, they got the letters ‘JKS’ with waves below it.

“Did you get permission to use that saying?” was Marcus’ first reaction to it.

Abby playfully shoved him. They sat on his pool deck, feet hanging in the water. He chuckled slightly. “I’m serious,” he told her. “Disney can be strict about their copyright issues.”

She reached up, touching his chin, telling him, “You need to get serious about shaving. You’ve got some stubble coming in.”

“I’m a 21 year old man, I think I can handle my shaving habits,” he said as he swatted her hand away, a grin beaming her face. “Besides, my best friend shouldn’t be telling me how to shave.”

She went to play with his face again, him defending her off, as she asked, “And why shouldn’t I? You might actually get a date with this secret crush you tell me about by listening to my advice.”

“Ouch,” he feigned hurt as he twisted her around, trapping her arms behind her back. “I’ve had plenty dates.”

She tried to wriggle her arms free but gave up easily. She replied, “But not with this secret girl you tell me about all the time.”

He shrugged and said, “It’ll happen when the time is right.”

“Will you ever tell me who it is?”

“When it’s the right time.”

She grunted in response. Typical Marcus reply. “If you’re not going to tell me who it is,” she complained, “then can you at least not use your police officer training against me.”

“Only if you take back telling me I need to shave,” he teased.

“Never!”

This put a smile on Marcus’ face. Abby had always been stubborn, he first noticed it when they swam in the pool as kids. She would never listen to his warnings about going to the deep end. It was a part of her that he admired.

“Fine.” He let her go. His smile never faded as her watched her stretch out.

She sighed heavily as she kicked her feet in the water. She leaned back on her hands, hairs from her loose ponytail falling in her face. There was one long strand that had come loose.

He watched her as she closed her eyes taking in the sunlight. It made her skin glisten, her hair shine. Marcus couldn’t help but stare. She looked gorgeous. She looked like the sun.

“Marcus?”

He snapped out of the trance he was in and focused back into reality. “Hm?”

“When are you going to ask that girl out?”

The question caught him off guard a bit. It took a while for him to gather his thoughts. He watched her as the gears in his brain started to work. His eyes landed on the one loose strand and he reached out.

“When the time is right,” he responded as he tucked the strand behind her ear.

She opened her left eye, staring out at him. A tiny smile formed on her lips. “That time isn’t now?”

The words were bold and he felt his heart jump a little. Was she implying…no, she couldn’t. He dared a glance back at her to find both of her eyes were closed. He scratched his jaw telling her, “No. She has a lot going on in her life right now.”

“Hmmm,” was her only response.

Silence developed between them, the only sound being the occasional wind that whistled through the trees. Marcus watched his feet in the water, his mind running a million miles per hour. He couldn’t decide if Abby had been joking with him or if she was hinting at him.

“I can hear you thinking.”

Marcus glanced up at Abby, her left eye open again and staring at him. He felt himself flush a little bit, thankful the sun had already reddened his cheeks. “Not much,” was all he said back.

“What is it?”

He stayed silent, watching the sky this time. He complemented between two scenarios in his head. One was where he spilled the truth of what he was really thinking and the other was his usual way of handling things, as in joking it off.

Stealing another glance at her, he watched as her body soaked up the sun. He watched as she glowed in the sunlight, radiating the happiness she gave him. She shone in the sunlight, reflecting her beauty off in waves. He took it all in.

He felt around on the stubble on his jaw and asked, “Do I really need to shave?”

Laughter escaped her and it made her glow brighter. He felt as if it made him glow, as if she was the actual sun. She outshined the sun by far. She was his sun, his happiness. She told him, “I was kidding, Marcus. It looks fine on you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” she said. “I think it actually looks good on you.”

That moment may have or may not have determined his new shaving habits.

\+  

It was all a blur.

A blur of emotions, strokes, water, and tears. Some tears were sad, some were happy. There were mixed emotions among those present. Swimmers were nervous before the race, anxious during it, then either happy or disappointed after.

Abby was in the first stage. Today was the Olympic trails.

“We got a lot of new faces out here today, don’t we, Dante?”

“We sure do, Cage! Many among the Americans.”

Cage nodded as they sat above the pool area where the trials were being held. Fixing his headset a bit, he looked down to the pool area. The next event was the medley relay. Looking back to his co-worker, Dante, he commented, “We’re coming up on the last heat of the medley relay trials.”

“Talking about new faces, we have a whole new team for the USA women’s team,” Dante pointed down to lane 5.

Cage followed his finger and noticed a group of four girls. “New faces indeed,” he agreed. “Sources says they were all recruited by the acclaimed Jake Griffin!”

“They must be good then,” Dante added in.

“Sources also say they could pull a big upset to steal the gold from the reigning gold medalists!”

“We’ll definitely have to keep our eyes on them. They’re getting ready to swim right now.”

Abby helped Indra slip the cap on her head. Her hands were shaking slightly as the cap snapped into place. Indra fixed it, standing back up straight. Indra noticed Abby fidgeting with her hands and Indra covered them with her own. Abby looked up to her to see her giving her a small smile. All she did was nod and Abby felt herself calm down.

Indra helped her put her cap on. Once it was on, she patted her on the head. “We got this,” she told her as the referee blew the whistle.

All the swimmers gathered around their respective blocks, Cece stepping up to the block first. She slid her googles over her eyes and looked back to her teammates. She grinned and gave them a thumbs up as the referee spoke into the speaker, “Swimmers enter the water.”

She dropped in, quickly getting ahold of the bar and set her feet on the wall. Her fingers flexed across the metal bar. She licked her lips, her heart beating fast in her chest. _Swim like you know how to swim_. Those were always Coach Griffin’s words. _Swim fast, swim well._

“Take your mark.”

All swimmers pulled themselves up. Cece tucked her head in a bit, slowing her breathing down. It was quiet, the suspension deafening in the silence.

The beep sounded and all the swimmers launched off the wall.

Soon the silence was filled with screams, cheer, and splashing water. Cece was fast in the water. She glided easily through it. Her turn was flawless at the other end and it propelled them into first. The other girls screamed in support.

Raven slipped her googles on and stepped up onto the block. She got set and launched off the block when Cece touched the wall. Raven was the best stream liner of the four. She reached almost halfway before she came up to swim.

Her quick and smooth strokes extended their lead. Her turn also added to the lead with another long stream line. Indra stretched her arms over her head as she stepped onto the block. When Raven touched the wall, Indra launched herself into the water.

Indra had the best start of the four. Her powerful arms and legs helped launched her far. They also helped her pull in her stroke, their lead gaining slowly. Her turn was powerful, pushing off strong.

“Look at them! Their time right now is even with the reigning gold medalists’ trial last race!” Cage exclaimed.

“The only swimmer left is Abigail Walters. She’s going to have do a personal best if she wants to beat their time,” Dante added.

Abby stepped up onto the block, nerves wrecking her core. She fixed her googles, eyes drifting to see Indra halfway back. Her eyes then drifted to the stands, landing on one specific man.

Marcus gave her a thumbs up, smiling big. She felt her nerves ease and she took a deep breath. She got into position, counting down Indra’s stroke as she passed the flags.

_Three._

The noise of the cheers and water blurred together. Her heartbeat was deafening out of it all, pounding in her chest and ears.

_Two._

Her grip on the block tightened as she rocked herself back, eyes locking with the lane ahead of her.

_One._

Indra finished her stroke, hands touching the wall. Abby launched herself off the block, gliding into the water. Abby’s start was the most fluid and smooth of the four. She may not have gotten as far as Indra did, but the way she entered the water helped her gain speed.

As soon as she came up, she began to swimming fast and kicking hard. Her strokes were long but quick, pulling her body quickly through the water. She didn’t come up for a breath on the first 50 of her race. Her turn was fluid and quick, being on the wall for barely a second.

She came up for a breath after a good few strokes after she hit the wall. Every noise was muffled by the water and the adrenaline pumping in her veins. Through it all, one phrase was clear in her mind. _Just keep swimming._

She kicked her harder and moved quicker. She could see the wall in sight. Everything they had worked for was a few yards ahead. She pushed harder, taking one last breath to finish the race in.

Soon, her fingertips hit the wall and she came above the surface. She looked up to the other three, breathing labored. They were watching the screen behind her. She turned as well, ripping her cap off. Before her eyes could adjust the screen, screams erupted behind her.

“Would you look at that, Dante! They did it!” Cage exclaimed, shock lacing his voice.

“They did,” Dante commented, surprise evident in his voice as well. “They beat the gold medalists by a second!”

Abby’s eyes finally found their lane and she saw the number one by it, as well as their time. She screamed and threw her arms up in the air. She turned to look at their teammates and they were all screaming, giving her thumbs up.

“It seems the gold medalists are going to have tough competition this year,” Cage told Dante.

Dante nodded, agreeing, “For sure. This new team just took first seed. Are we looking at new gold medalists?”

Cage looked back down to where the four were now hugging each other. They stood by their block, smiles gracing their faces. “Alumni vs the Rookies?” He asked looked back to Dante.

“It’ll be an interesting race,” Dante pointed out, “that’s for sure.”

Raven hugged Abby closer to her, pulling them all closer, shouting, “We fucking did it!”

They all burst into laughter. Indra told them, “Now to win the real thing.” They each screamed in agreement as Coach Griffin made his way over. A huge smile graced his face, holding his arms open. They all ran to him, hugging him close.

“I’m so proud of you,” he told them, “every single one of you.”

They all thanked him and he rubbed Indra on the head, earning a swat from her. “I knew you guys could do it,” he beamed.

“You better have thought that,” Raven replied, a smirk forming on her lips.

The rest of the girls burst into laughter and all Coach Griffin did was grin in response. He left after that, letting them clean up their area. They started to walk back to their locker room but Abby stopped. She looked into the crowd, her eyes fell on Marcus.

He was grinning and threw his arms up in the air, screaming. She smiled and laughed, continuing her way into the locker room. The girls showered, talking and dancing to the music, and got dressed for the trip back to the hotel.

As they exited the locker room, Marcus stood on the opposite side. He was leaning against the wall, playing with the cuff of his leather jacket. Abby looked to him, telling the other girls over her shoulder, “Tell Coach I’ll be there in a few.”

Raven winked at her, making Abby’s cheek flush as they walked to the doors. Abby turned back to where Marcus stood and walked over to him.

He grinned down to her and asked, “Can I have your autograph?”

She immediately burst into laughter and threw herself into his open arms. He hugged her close, his grin widening. He leaned his cheek on her head, telling her, “I told you, you could do it.”

She shifted to look up at him. He was now grinning down to her again. She said, “I guess you did.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m never wrong.”

“Oh, don’t let it get to your head, Marcus.”

He laughed heartedly, messing her hair up. She squealed a bit in laughter trying to push him away. The sound warmed his heart, growing it in size. He captured the look on her face in his memory: her smile, her laughter, and her eyes. They all reflected the joy he knew she felt.

“Thank you, Marcus,” she suddenly told him.

Confusion laced into his voice. “For what?”

“For supporting me,” she stated. “You never gave up on me; you were always there. I just want you to know I appreciate that. Not everyone knows how much the support really means sometimes, so I wanted to let you know. Thank you.”

After she finished, she made eye contact with him, a smile gracing her face. His heart skipped a beat when he stared back into her eyes. The smile was for _him_ , for his support he had given her over the years.

He grinned brightly back down to her, confidence bursting in his chest. “You’re welcome. Anything for my gold medalist.”

She rolled her eyes, the smile never leaving her lips. “I haven’t won the gold medal yet, Marcus.”

“Yet: key word,” he pointed out.

Another small fit of laughter escaped her and he felt his heart pump faster. He added after that, “Anyways, you already have a gold medal.” She raised her eyebrow in question and he told her, “The one I got you.”

“How could I forget?” she teased.

“You might,” he nudged her, “after you win the real thing.”

She shrugged, tugging him towards the front entrance of the pool arena. “Not even a real gold medal could beat yours.”

He felt a smile tug at his lips. He watched as she tugged him towards the double doors, his hand in hers. The sun from outside shone inside, the light glistening through her hair. He felt that confidence from before surge back and he suddenly stopped walking, yanking her to a halt in the process.

She looked back to him confused and he felt the nerves beginning to spread through him. He mentally shook it off, telling her, “You remember how I told you I was waiting for the right time?”

The confusion on her face only grew and she asked, “For what?”

“To ask that girl out,” he responded, heart pounding in his ears.

“Oh! Is she here?” she took her hand from his grasp turning and looking around. He smiled a bit, his eyes finding the other three girls watching from outside. Abby saw his gaze and followed it. She said with surprise, “Raven?”

He laughed a bit, shaking his head. He thought a bit and said, “Not exactly, she’s a bit more stubborn and hard-headed.”

“Indra?” The surprise in her voice was more evident than with when she guessed Raven.

He laughed harder, the grin on his face wide. He shook his head. He took a step towards her, making eye contact. “Not quite,” he replied. “This girl likes to be a leader. She is strong hearted with the need to help everyone she can.”

He took another step closer to her as the realization dawned on Abby. “She likes to swim in her free time,” he shrugged. “I think she may be even good enough to compete in the Olmypics.”

He took another step as she rolled her eyes in response, not able to stop the small smile that appeared on her face.

“She’s about this tall,” placing his head on her head, “and she hates when I do this.” He proceeded to tickle her, earning a burst of laughter from her. He relished in it. Her laugh was one of his favorite things about her.

When he stopped, he raised an eyebrow at her. “Third times a charm on the guess?”

She swept her hair over her head, it a mess from his tickle attack. She smirked a bit, asking, “Cece?”

He shook his head and put his arm around her, pulling her to him. He gazed down to her, saying, “Close.”

This time she raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Cece is close to Abby?”

He smirked and said, “I figured you’d guess yourself last. You’re the only one on the team left.”

She laughed a little and grinned up to him. “I believe you have something to ask me?” she asked innocently.

He told her, “I do.” He caught a loose strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. He watched as he did then made eye contact with her again. “Abigail Walters,” he began, “will you go out with me for a dinner date?”

She grinned and nodded. “Yes,” she replied.

He wasn’t sure what happened first. He felt his face break into a full out grin, he felt his heart expand with happiness, and he felt complete. “Thank God,” he responded, pulling her into a hug.

She hugged him back. “Thank God? Were you nervous I’d say no?”

“With the way you were guessing at first, I wasn’t sure.”

She hit him on the chest after pulling from the hug. She chuckled a bit, pulling him towards the doors. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me for a while,” she told him.

He retorted, “Maybe I was waiting for you to ask me.”

She looked back to him and rolled her eyes as the exited the arena. The bus was waiting for her, Coach Griffin loading the last of the bags. The other girls were already on it. She turned to him and he asked, “Can I see you tonight?”

“Join us for dinner,” she told him, letting his hand go.

“Perfect,” he replied, smiling at her.

She grinned and stepped forward, leaning forward, going on her toes and cupped his face, kissing his cheek softly. Once she pulled back, she winked at him. He felt the flush in his cheeks begin to rise as she began to walk to the bus.

“What was that?” he called out after her.

She looked to him over her shoulder and told him, “Let’s call it hope.”

“Hope?”

She nodded. “Hope- for the future.”

Marcus felt his cheek as she boarded the bus. The door closed behind her and slowly took off out of the parking lot. He watched it disappear from sight. Bringing his fingers from his cheek, he looked down to them. A small smile formed on his lips.

Marcus decided he liked hope.

+

“Marcus, I shouldn’t be out here!”

“Sh!”

It was pitch dark out. The time was nearing ten at night. Tomorrow was a big day for Abby. She should be sleeping, not sneaking out of the hotel with Marcus.

“Marcus, if Coach finds out-”

“It’s a good thing he won’t then, is it?”

She couldn’t see his face in the dark but she knew a smirk adorned his lips. He had insisted on dragging her from her comfy bed to the outside world. They were now walking down the street heading to wherever Marcus was dragging her to.

“If this is some last minute plan you conspired to kill me, you failed to remember everyone knows you saw me last,” she teased.

“If I was going to kill you,” he replied, walking off the sidewalk into a park, “I would’ve planned that out better. You don’t think I’m that stupid, do you?”

“Well…”

“Don’t finish that,” he interrupted with a chuckle. “We’re almost there.”

“Where are you dragging me?” she asked, looking around the park.

“Somewhere to help calm your mind.”

“I think I could’ve done that in the comfort of my bed.”

He suddenly stopped and looked back to her. She nearly ran into him, eyes still adjusting to the dark. She looked up to him to see him looking to her. He told her, “I knew you couldn’t and that’s why I brought you out here.”

She frowned a bit, turning her head away from him. He was right; she hated that. She had been twisting and turning every night in her bed, restless. The nerves were getting to her. She felt calm when she was in the pool or in the open air. She felt at ease around him.

She was brought back from her thoughts when he gently squeezed her hand. “I only want to help,” he told her. “If you think you can get back to bed, really get back to bed, I’ll take you back. But, I know-”

“No.”

He stopped, a bit taken back. “No?”

She shook her head. “No,” she repeated. He was right. “You’re right. I’ll go with you. I trust you.”

He smiled a bit and turned to continue walking. “I know how much pressure you’re feeling. I just want to help you relax. This helps ease my mind and calm me down.”

“Dragging girls off to their death in the middle of a park?”

He let out a lighthearted laugh, shaking his head as they reached their destination. “No,” he commented, “That.” He pointed to the sky.

Abby looked up to see a sky full of stars glittering against the pitch black backdrop. She grinned, twisting around to see them all. Not a single cloud was in the sky, no trees blocked any view of the sky. It was beautiful. She looked back to Marcus saying, “It’s beautiful.”

He smiled and told her, “It’s breathtaking from this position.”

She watched as he laid on the ground on his back. He patted the area beside him, putting his one arm behind his head. She laid by him, head resting on the ground and his shoulder. He used his other arm to play with her hair as she looked up to the sky.

The view was bigger from the ground. She felt like she was captured in a universe where only her, Marcus, and the stars existed. There were no Olympics, gold medals, or nerves. She was surrounded by glistening stars that seemed to never end. She felt wrapped up in peace.

She shifted her eyes among the many stars that littered the sky. Some were brighter than others, some were bigger than others. She could make out pictures in some, other times she got lost staring at one for too long. She got lost in the peace and quiet she had seem to forget existed when they arrived at the Olympics days ago.

Marcus’ voice broke through the silence. “Like it?”

She tore her eyes from the sky to look up to him. He was watching her, a smile intact to his lips. “I love it,” she whispered. She was in awe, of him, his thoughtfulness, and the stars.

“It’s nice,” he said, “to find something where there are no distractions. You can just get lost in the silence and forget everything for a while. Everyone needs it once in a while.”

She nodded, cuddling closer to his side. His hand glided through her hair, strands falling across his fingers and to the ground. The process repeated as they sat in silence watching the stars.

“You’re going to do great tomorrow,” Marcus spoke.

She began to fill the nerves crawl back but they subsided when she felt his hand through her hair again. She focused on the stars above. “What if I don’t?” she asked. She was afraid of disappointing her country, her coach, _him_.

“You’re in the finals,” he told her, “at the Olympics. You already did great.”

“What if that’s not enough?”

He looked down to her and said, “People always want more. Nothing is enough anymore.” He stroked a stray strand of hair from her eyes and watched it at his fingers. “But it’s enough for me. You being happy and content with knowing you’re doing your best is all that matters to me.”

She grinned. “Thank you,” she told him, “for everything.”

He looked back to her, smiling. He tucked the hair strand behind her ear. “Always.”

She tilted her head up and their lips met softly. He used his free hand to cup her cheek and pull her closer. She tasted like gold; she tasted like a winner.

+

“Tonight’s the night, Dante!”

“It sure is, Cage! It’s the race everyone has been dying to see since the Olympics trials.”

“The Rookies vs the Alumni. Who will come out on top?”

Dante shifted through his papers, looking them over. “If the Rookies keep swimming like they are, then the Alumni are in trouble.”

“It’ll be one for the history books!” Cage responded.

Abby stood by their block in lane 5. The other three girls pulled her into their small circle. Their arms wrapped around each other as they huddled close. “Alright,” Raven told them, “it’s time to kick some ass.”

“We’ve beaten their time before, we can it again,” Indra added in.

“But remember,” Cece cut in, “even if we don’t win, it’s alright. This is one race of many to come.”

Everyone nodded at everyone’s comment. They looked to Abby, waiting for her contribution. She smiled, watching them. “No matter what,” she told them, “just keep swimming.”

“Just keep swimming,” they replied in unison.

They broke apart from their huddle getting googles and caps ready. Abby stretched her arms a bit more, looking into the same spot in the stands she always watched. He stood there, a big grin on his face. Marcus gave her a small thumbs up.

She grinned in response as the whistle blew throughout the arena. The pool area filled with silence. All eyes fell on the referee. His name was Jaha. He was known as one of the toughest referees. He had a keen eye for finding false starts and illegal strokes.

His eyes scanned the swimmers, trying to find a reason to disqualify them. He had DQ’d (disqualified) many celebrity swimmers and gold medalists before. He wasn’t afraid.

“This the first time the Rookies will be refereed by Jaha,” Cage commented.

“It’ll be interesting,” Dante commented back, “especially with the way Abigail Walters enters the water.”

“Agreed, Dante,” Cage replied. “Most swimmers watch their teammates go into the wall to see them touch. She stares ahead and seems to trust her teammate on number of strokes.”

“It’s a risky start but it’s been flawless every time.”

“But is it worth it to be risky with Jaha in the Olympic finals?” Cage asked, turning to his partner.

Dante looked back at him, shrugging. “If it’s routine and it works, I say stick with it.”

“We’ll just have to see. The backstrokers are now entering the water.”

Cece flexed her fingers across the metal bar, tucking her head in. The silence was deafening as Jaha’s voice flowed through the speaker, “Take you mark.”

She pulled herself up. She closed her eyes for a quick second, calming her thoughts. _Swim like you know how to swim_. She imagined the waves, she imagined herself gliding through them, she imagined her flip turn, and she imagined each stroke. _Swim fast, swim well._

The beep sounded and she launched herself off the wall. The arena immediately erupted into cheers. The girls cheered Cece on who was neck and neck with the gold medalist. On their turns, Cece gained the edge on her just a bit. The three girls and the arena screamed louder in response.

Raven was on the block already, fixing her googles. She tilted her head, cracking her neck, mumbling to herself, “Don’t fuck it up, Raven.”

She got into position and when Cece’s fingertips touched the wall, she launched herself into the pool. Abby turned to look at Jaha as he watched the two breaststrokers streamline. He switched his eyes between the lanes efficiently. Abby began to feel the nerves make their way back into her system.

Raven’s streamline gave them another small edge, but their breaststroker was their best swimmer. She easily caught back up on the way back. Indra stretched her arms over her head and said, “Bring us home, Abby.”

She stepped on to the block, focusing on Raven. Both her and the other butterflier launched off at the same time. Indra’s start was more powerful, earning their edge back. Abby helped Raven exit the pool. She was panting and told her, “I did a personal best and she still caught up with me.”

Abby patted her head saying, “You did great. If you didn’t PR then we’d be behind.”

Raven smiled up to her, grabbing her hand. “You got this,” she told her before letting her hand go.

Abby looked down the lane, Indra flawlessly doing her turn. She looked where Jaha stood, his eyes shifting to her block and the lane next to her. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second, imagining the stars around her.

When she opened her eyes, they fell on Marcus. He was jumping up and down, screaming. She looked to where Indra was, getting a small edge on the other flier. Abby fixed her googles and stood on the block. She got into position and began her countdown as Indra reached the flags.

_Three._

She flexed her fingers against the block. She felt Jaha’s eyes watching her, daring her for to go early. She focused on the lane ahead of her, blocking it out.

_Two._

She rocked back into position, grip on the block tightening. The lane in front of her turned into the stars she gazed at last night. She felt her mind ease.

_One._

Indra finished her stroke and Abby launched herself off the block. She was off the block faster than the other swimmer. She streamlined perfectly and when she surfaced she swam her heart out.

She focused on the water ahead of her. She envisioned the other girls waiting for her, the gold medal, and the other end of the pool. She used it to move her arms faster and kick harder.

Not taking a breath the whole fifty, her flip turn was quick. She was off the wall on her last length to finish the race. She didn’t know the time or where the swimmer was by her. She focused on the other wall of the pool. She focused on the fire in her lungs.

She took one breath, the screams of the fans mixing with the splashing of the water. She added that to the other factors propelling her towards the wall. It was getting closer in view.

She pushed herself harder, trying to exert every ounce of energy she had. She wanted to leave everything she trained for in the waves. She didn’t want to have the thought of “I could’ve done more”.

Taking one last breath, she saw the flags appearing above her head. She poured all her energy into her arms and legs. The wall was right there and she thrust her last stroke out, jamming her fingers into the wall.

She popped out of the water, gasping for air. Her lungs were burning and she coughed a little bit. She breathed heavy for a few before ripping her googles off. Her ears were ringing, noise muffled. She took her cap off next, looking to the scoreboard.

“Dante! I can’t believe it!” Cage shouted, out of his seat as he looked down to the pool area. “They did it! They won!”

“I can’t believe my eyes!” Dante exclaimed. “We’re witnessing history here folks!”

Abby eyes registered the scoreboard and her ears adjusted to the screaming from behind her. All three girls were jumping around and hugging each other. Abby first pumped into the air, breathing hard still.

Her attention shifted to the man in the stands and he was jumping up and down, whistling through his fingers. He grinned big and seemed to mouth, “I’m proud of you!”

“Hold up, Cage,” Dante suddenly said.

“What is it?”

“Jaha is signaling something,” he informed them. “He’s talking to the officials.”

Everyone seemed to notice as well and the arena calmed down a bit. Abby’s heart began to race, the nerves building up again. She won, they won. Why was she nervous?

She figured out when Jaha turned around on the scoreboard a “DQ” flashed by a lane. Gasps erupted throughout the arena.

“A disqualification!” Cage reported with shock.

“For lane 5?” Dante asked, shocked as well.

Jaha had grabbed the microphone and announced to the arena, “Lane 5 has been disqualified due to a false start.”

New placements appeared on the scoreboard. Cheers erupted from some others, silence fell among others. Lane 5 was among the latter. Shock, surprise, and disbelief were common reactions among the four. The swimmers all looked to each other, reality setting in.

“That’s the Rookies!” Cage confirmed.

Abby’s heart shattered.

+

Things were different after that.

The four went home from the Olympics that summer without a medal. It was over the news, social media, and anywhere where gossip could spread. “Rookies Fall Short”; “False Start Steals Gold Medal”; and “USA Rookie Swimmers in Deep Water” were a few of the headlines that followed.

The false start was showed many times on the air. There was a lot of controversy around the call. Many saw the false start, many didn’t. It didn’t matter at that point, the gold medals went to the reigning winners.

Abby felt terrible. It was her start that Jaha had determined as a false start. It was later found out that she left a little too early. She left right before Indra’s fingertips hit the wall.

The girls didn’t blame Abby. They told her many times, in Indra’s words, “Shit happens.” They weren’t mad at her. They told her they just would work hard the next four years to make a comeback.

None of that mattered to Abby. Abby was mad at Abby; Abby blamed herself.

She lost some of the spirit she usually brought to the swimming pool for practice. She wasn’t as happy like she was before the Olympics. She wasn’t as outgoing. Everything reminded her of her screw up. How could she forget when there was something on it almost everywhere she went?

Marcus tried his best to cheer her up. He took her places to try and take her mind off the incident. It would work for the time being but after she would return to her unhappy state when she would have swimming the next day.

It broke his heart. It truly broke his heart to see the girl he adored become sad at the thought of attending something that use to make her smile.

He wanted to make her happy, he wanted to help her. She refused every time.

The struggle the mistake was taking on her showed in their new few events. Abby was adding time in her 50 and 100 free. She was almost disqualified for a shaky start on the blocks. She had a mental breakdown on the block after that.

In response, Jake pulled her from the race at the last minute.

They sat in the locker room as the meet continued on. It was silent as she ran a shaky hand through her damp hair. “Am I done?” she asked in a whisper. He looked to her for the first time they had entered the locker room. “For good?”

He frowned, watching her. He saw the guilt eating her up, the toll it was taking on her. “Of course not,” he told her. He reached out, rubbing her back for comfort. “You’re the best freestyler I have.”

She let out a half-hearted chuckle, no emotion in it. “Obviously not,” she wiped her nose, “if I can’t even do a proper start.”

“You know how controversial that call was.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she spat out, “it was still a false start in the end.”

He shook his head. “No,” he answered her, “you’re not done for good.” She looked up to him, her face portraying that she didn’t believe him. “You are, however, done for this meet.”

“I figured as much,” she mumbled, throwing her cap in her bag.

“And for the next meet too,” he added after.

“What?” she looked up. She looked ready to protest but he shook his head. She slumped in her spot. Tears made their way to her eyes. “I guess it’s what I get for screwing up so much.”

“That’s not it,” he immediately replied. He looked to her, waiting for her to make eye contact. “We feel you need a break.”

“We?”

“Me, the girls, and Marcus.”

“Marcus?” she understood the girls’ point of view and his, but wondered when Marcus had talked to Coach Griffin.

He nodded. “We believe it’s the best for you,” he explained. “It’ll give you time to relax and get your mind off the Olympics.”

“I’ll be out of training,” she responded. “I’ll get worse in my swimming.”

“You won’t get that out of shape from missing a few practices.”

“Did Marcus tell you that?” she asked.

“No,” he said, “He agreed with our proposal. He came to us first with concerns about you.”

Abby felt anger begin to rise in her. “Marcus doesn’t understand what missing will do to my performance.”

Coach Griffin shrugged. “He may or he may not,” he said, “but he is right on what your mentality is doing to your performance.”

“My mentality?”

“We can all see that you’re beating yourself up over the Olympics,” he shook his head. “I didn’t think it’d get this bad.”

“How bad did he say it was?”

“Bad enough that he notices you’re unhappy not just at swim but a lot of the time.”

Abby didn’t know how to respond. She knew her mentality wasn’t the best at the time, but she didn’t think it was affecting her performance. “I don’t think taking time off will help it,” she tried reasoning with him.

“Marcus thinks otherwise,” he replied.

“What does Marcus know of it? He didn’t screw up and let down a whole country!”

“You didn’t let a whole country down,” he told her, “ and you’re right, he doesn’t know that. But I agree with him.”

“You agree with him?”

“Yes,” he looked to her, “I do. He told me that taking off time might help you relax and take your mind off it. Throwing you into practice and meets just builds your anxiety about the situation.”

“Taking off time gives me time to focus solely on it,” she pointed out.

“And he said maybe you need to do that. Maybe you need to get it out of your system.”

“He doesn’t know it’ll work.”

“That’s a matter you can discuss with him but my decision still stands. You’re not practicing or competing in the next meet.”

She was at loss for words. After a few moments of silence, “My times will get worse if I sit out.”

“You can make that up when you’re in the right mental state. I’d rather you gain time from sitting out than be miserable and beat yourself up,” he concluded.

He stood up and turned to face her. “You’re more than welcome to sit at practice but I would advise staying away to clear your mind.”

She didn’t respond as he left the locker room. She was a mix of emotions. A part of her was glad she was getting a mental break but another part of her was angry. She was angry at Marcus for getting involved when she thought she had the situation handled.

She understood he wanted to help but he didn’t understand that she could get through it. She didn’t need the break, she needed to push through it.

After the meet she sat alone of the bus ride home. She plugged her headphones in for the whole ride. She was lost in her thoughts as she watched the trees travel by.

When they reached the local meeting spot, she slowly got off the bus. She tucked her headphones in her bag as she looked for the familiar truck. Her eyes slowly landed on the man she couldn’t decide if she was angry at or not.

He smiled slightly and opened her door for her. She climbed into the passenger side, tossing her bag to the back seat. He climbed into the driver side and started the car. He asked, “How’d the meet go?”

“Like usual.”

She didn’t have to look at him to see the frown on his face. Silence filled the car as he began to drive back to her apartment. He seemed agitated and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. She kept silent, watching out the window.

After a few minutes, going through another mental battle, she spoke, “Coach Griffin is sitting me out for the next few practices and meet.”

Marcus was silent for a while. He finally responded, “That’s good.” It wasn’t what Abby wanted to hear. “It’ll give you time to calm your mind down.”

“That’s the problem,” she said turning to look at him, “I don’t need the time off.”

“Abby-”

“I don’t!” her voice cracked in desperation. She wanted someone to understand she could endure it. “Marcus, I don’t need a break. It won’t help.”

He frowned, glancing over to her as they car slowed to a stop at a red light. It was beginning to sprinkle outside. He flipped the windshield wipers on. “Abby, you and I both know that’s not true.”

“No, Marcus,” she shook her head, “You don’t know.”

He didn’t respond at first. The light turned green and he returned his attention to the road. The silence in the car grew as Marcus thought over his next words carefully. “I just want to help you,” he finally decided on.

“I know you do,” she responded. She watched rain drops race down the window. “That’s why you should’ve never talked to Coach Griffin.”

“Abby-”

“I had it handled.”

“No Abby, you didn’t,” he replied bluntly. She looked to him and he glanced towards her. He shook his head. “You didn’t,” he repeated himself. “I could see it, the girls could, Coach Griffin could. Everyone could see it, Abby.”

“But you don’t understand,” she tried again, “I had it under control. I was getting through it.”

“Abby,” he shook his head, “you weren’t.”

“I was!”

“Abby-”

“I did!” she raised her voice and it caught it him off guard. He turned the windshield wipers faster as the rain turned into a steady downpour. “No offense Marcus, but don’t understand. I know what’s good for me.”

“I know I don’t understand that feeling,” he said. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn’t figure out why. She felt sick and nervous. “I just thought a break would do you good. It’d give you time to reflect on it without other stress. It’d give you time to relax.”

“The only thing it will allow me to do is to overthink it. I need to keep my mind off it.”

“Pushing it off and hoping it’ll go away won’t help. A break gives you the time you’ll need to get over it. A break can help you recover from it,” he tried to reason with her.

“I just told you that it won’t.”

“You can at least try it.”

“Marcus.”

“Abby, it-”

“Maybe swimming isn’t the thing I need a break from,” she mumbled, intending for it to be only audible to her.

Silence fell between them. Abby immediately regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. Marcus didn’t respond. He kept his eyes on the road and his hands constantly fidgeted on the wheel.

“Marcus,” Abby spoke up, “I didn’t mean that.”

“You want to break up?” he asked, turning onto her street.

“No,” she replied truthfully.

He looked to her as he pulled into her driveway. “That’s not what you just said.”

“I know,” she admitted. God, she felt dumb. “I didn’t mean it. I said it in the heat of things. You understand that, right?”

“I don’t know, do I?”

She admitted she deserved that. They sat in silence. The only sound was the patter of the rain against the car. She sighed after a while, mumbling, “Maybe I do need that break.”

He looked to her and she looked to him. He said, “If this wasn’t so serious, this is the time where I’d tell you ‘I told you so’.”

She lightly hit his arm, a sad smile gracing her face. They sat in more silence until he spoke up. “You’re the strongest woman I know. You broke your collarbone as a kid and didn’t even flinch. I cut my knee on the deck and bawled for two hours.”

She laughed, light tears prickling her eyes. “It didn’t help that I lied and told you it was infected and that you weren’t going to make it.”

He laughed a bit. “You were evil for a five year old.”

“Or you were just weak for a seven year old,” she retorted.

“That too,” he agreed. “The point is, I know you’re strong. I know you can push through anything. The thing is, you don’t have to. It’s okay to take a well needed break. It doesn’t make you weak. You’re human, Abby. Humans make mistakes and humans need breaks every once in a while.”

She couldn’t help the tears that gathered in her eyes. She just realized how exhausted she was mentally. She felt as if pressure had suddenly been released and she felt as if she could finally breathe. She knew he was right.

The tears escaped and dripped down her cheeks. She choked out, “But I don’t deserve a break.”

He reached over, grabbing her hand that was wiping at the tears. “Look at me,” he told her. She slowly made eye contact with him. Tears were streaming down her face and he told her, “You made a mistake. Everyone does. It’s okay.”

“That mistake cost us a gold medal.”

“And?” he questioned, wiping a stray tear away. “You think that’s your last chance at a gold medal? You guys killed it at the Olympics, there’s no way you can’t get back in next time.”

“Unless I get another false start,” she mumbled, eyes shifting away.

“You know,” he shook his head, “fuck Jaha.”

“Marcus!” she couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped from her.

He grinned, guilty, and feigned innocent asking, “What? We all know Indra touched the wall before you jumped off the block.”

“Not to him.”

“Exactly why I said fuck Jaha,” he told her, earning a small fit of laughter from her.

Even with the tears still falling from her eyes, she felt a bit better. She felt lighter as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She smiled a little bit, looking to him. She intertwined their fingers, giving it a small squeeze. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He gave her a tiny smile, kissing her their conjoined hands. “I just want you to be happy. I want you to be healthy.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “I knew you’d give me shit for this break idea because I know you can power through anything. I just saw it eating you alive I couldn’t handle seeing you in so much pain.”

“I appreciate it,” she told him. “I really do. I’m…I’m sorry I got moody. I didn’t mean it about the break between us.”

“Thank god,” he dramatically put his hand over his heart.

She smacked his arm, smiling more. He smiled more back. “Me snapping at you…it made me realize that the pressure was changing me, my attitude. It is affecting me. I think the break is a great idea. I need it.”

He smiled more, shutting the car off. He told her, “And you won’t be going through it alone. Coach Griffin will be there for you, so will the girls. I’ll be there for you.”

She smiled, wiping the last of her tears away. She felt her spirits rising as the time passed. It was a start. She was past the denial phase, now she was ready to get better.

He kissed the top of her hand again, making eye contact with her. He told her, “No matter what, we’re in this together.”

+

Abby missed the next month of practice and two more meets.

Marcus kept his promise and stayed by her the whole time. They started off with taking time off swim and work just to spend time together. They let the rough waters settle before starting to tackle the problem.

When they started tackling the problem, it was a tough start. Abby wasn’t willing to watch her start at first. When she finally did she broke down again. Marcus was there to hold her and keep her afloat during it.

When she got passed it and accepted the fact that there was nothing she could about it, they moved on. They kept swimming.

Marcus and Coach Griffin eased her back into the pool. She got back into doing small workouts on her own. Marcus would watch from the bleachers, Coach’s instructions on a piece of paper. Soon enough, Coach Griffin showed up.

When Abby was back in her usual swimming mode, Indra joined the process.

They worked on starts for hours, for days, and for weeks. Every time Abby cut it close, Coach Griffin would call it a false start. It was a shaky first few calls but Abby began to grow a cold shoulder to the call and perfect her starts.

Soon enough they went a whole day without any false starts.

Abby now sat in the locker room with Indra. Indra was busy getting ready for her job that day while Abby rubbed her hair in her towel. “I’m proud of you,” Indra suddenly said.

Abby sat up, shifting her hair from her eyes. She looked to Indra who smiled to her through the mirror. Abby smiled back and said, “Thanks. I couldn’t have gotten it done without you.”

“You did it yourself,” she replied putting an earring in.

“But without you, Marcus, Coach, or the other girls I wouldn’t have dug myself out of that hole I buried myself in.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “True,” she admitted, “but you got better because you decided you wanted to. You kept swimming instead of sinking.”

Abby’s eyes floated to her wrist where her tattoo was. She smiled to herself, running her finger over it. “If it wasn’t for Marcus I wouldn’t have had the break or realized I needed it,” she told her.

“Marcus is a good man,” Indra responded.

“He is,” Abby agreed.

Marcus was waiting outside the locker room, ready to take Abby home from practice. He had attended every practice just to be by her side. He never left early or showed up late. He was always there. When they weren’t together, he always answered her calls or texts when she needed him.

“You better keep him,” Indra told her as she put her last earring in.

“Are you planning to steal him if I don’t?” Abby teased.

Indra laughed and zipped her bag up. She slung it over her shoulder, telling her, “Never in a million years.”

Abby laughed along with her. “Marcus loves having you around. You guys are a great team,” Abby told her.

“Oh, I know,” Indra winked, “he tells me all the time.”

Abby smiled more, rubbing her hair a bit more in the towel. Indra tossed her a goodbye and left her alone. Abby sat in silence as she combed her hair out.

After a few moments alone, a voice called out from the door, “Abby?”

She called back out, “I’m decent.”

Footsteps followed and Coach Griffin appeared in the doorway. She smiled at him and he smiled back. “Can we talk?” he asked.

She nodded and he came over and sat beside her. She felt the same nerves she had at the meet he took her out of her crawling back. She forced them down and waited for him to speak.

“This week is the world championships with swimming,” he told her. He messed with the watch on his wrist.

“They are,” she confirmed. She remembered her relay had qualified last summer. Now, she wasn’t so sure if she’d be swimming in the event.

He let the topic fall off into another silence. “You’ve made a comeback,” he said. “You’re back to the Abigail Walters I first met.”

She smiled slightly to herself. “Is that a good thing?” she teased.

He smiled a bit. “Yes,” he replied. “You’re happy again. I don’t think I can recall a moment I saw you laugh in the pool since the Olympics.”

Her smile turned sad for a bit. He patted her shoulder, telling her, “I’m proud of you.”

She looked to him, seeing a genuine smile on his face. She set her comb down saying, “You never gave up on me.”

“Why would I?”

“It’s a lot easier to kick me off the team and get a new recruit than worry about me,” she admitted. It was a fear she had since the Olympics. She was afraid she wasn’t good enough, that they would leave her behind.

“I would never do that,” he told her. He reached into his pockets, leaning back to lean on the wall. “I’ve gone through what you did. I’ve been disqualified many times before. If I gave up on you when no one did for me, what good would I be doing?”

She sat back too, letting his words sink in. He looked to her saying, “I’d be giving up on you, your team, and your dreams. You deserve a second chance. People make mistakes. You don’t give up on those who do, you help them through it.” He tapped her wrist. “You just keep swimming.”

She grinned as she ran her fingers over her tattoo. She kept looking at it, telling him, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he replied, pulling his hand out of his pocket. His hand was closed as he held it on his thigh. “I believed in you when I first saw you. One mistake won’t wash that away. I believed more. I believed you were going to make a comeback and you did. I never stopped believing, no one did.”

She felt tears prickle at her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. She thought of her team, him, and Marcus. They never blamed her for the loss of the gold medal. They never left her side. They never gave up on her. They stayed and helped her.

He held the hand up that was closed into a fist. He said, “I got something for you girls after the Olympics. The other girls got theirs already but I wanted to wait for the right time for you.”

He held his hand out for her and opened it up. In his palm sat a necklace. The charm was a gold circle. It was small but big enough for the things engraved on it. On the front side a “1” was engraved. On the back were the letters “JKS”.

She took it from his hands and held it up. It glittered in the locker room lighting. She was in awe. She told him, “I love it.”

He smiled and took it from her. She turned around and it he put it on for her. She turned back to him, picking it up and looking at it again. He told her, “I wanted to let you know that no matter what place you finish in, you’ll always be first in my heart.”

She smiled big and she threw her arms around him. She hugged him closely and whispered, “Thank you. For everything.”

He hugged her back, grinning. “You’re welcome.”

She pulled back, looking at it more. “It’s beautiful,” she commented.

He smiled and said, “I also have more news.”

She looked up, confused a bit. “What?”

“You’re swimming with the girls in the world championships.”

“What!” she exclaimed, “Really?!”

He grinned and nodded. “You deserve it,” he told her. “You worked hard to get yourself back to where you were. You didn’t give up when that was the easier option.”

“Even though I haven’t been swimming with the girls? Not doing a normal routine?”

“Yes,” he said. “I believe you can do it. You worked hard for it.”

“Thank you!” she exclaimed. She stood up, a full grin on her face. She grabbed her bag, turning to him. “I won’t let you down!”

And she didn’t.

She walked to the blocks that day with her team with confidence. The world was watching, anticipating what would happen. She blocked them out just liked she was taught to. She tuned the world out except the lane in front of her.

On the block, she did look to the same spot in the bleachers she always looked to. There stood the same man that never left, that never gave up on her. Marcus whistled through his fingers, giving her a thumbs up.

And when Indra swam to the wall, the world held their breath. Abby didn’t falter when she launched herself off the block with more confidence than she ever had. She swam harder than she had in the past month. She was going to show the world that a mistake didn’t define you.

She showed them when she touched the wall, placing first for the first round of the world championships. She showed them when they got first place at the world championships. She showed them when qualified once again in the first seed for the Olympics.

“Abigail Walters has improved over the past four years,” Dante commented into his headset.

“You’re right on that,” Cage agreed. “It’s good to see her back this year with a chance to redeem herself from the last Olympics.”

“Mistakes happen,” Dante said, “but they do not define you unless you let them.”

“And it looks like she isn’t going to let it,” Cage responded with a grin.

+

Life prepares you for many things.

There’s a reason practice exists. It helps a team prepare for their games. There’s a reason school exists. It helps prepare you for real life. There’s a reason training programs exists. They prepare you for the job you’re going to perform.

There are many things life doesn’t prepare for you, death being one of them.

Sure, you can know what to expect: tears, sadness, a funeral, and condolences. Nothing in life can prepare you for the realization that someone is gone from the world. It hits you like a truck going at full speed. There’s no preparation that will ease the blow of the news.

Abby wasn’t prepared for the phone call the night before the finals at the Olympics.

She sat alone in a field outside her hotel, gazing up at the night sky. Her hands were shaking, tears fell from her eyes as she watched the stars. Her shaky hand was wrapped tightly around the necklace she wore.

Nothing could have prepared her for the news of Coach Griffin passing away. He had died of a heart attack earlier that day.

Her fingers wouldn’t stay still. They kept fidgeting over the engraved number and letters on the necklace. Tears dripped on to her knuckles.

She couldn’t understand why. _Why_ _him?_ He didn’t do anything wrong. He was a kind person that wanted nothing except for everyone to achieve their dreams. He was selfless. So, _why him?_

Life was unfair.

Her last evening with him kept replaying in her mind. They were all out for dinner in celebration of advancing to finals for the medley relay. He had called for a toast.

He lifted his glass into the air and smiled to everyone seated at the table. “I have had many athletes that I’ve coached to the Olympics in the past,” he started. “I’m proud of them all. But, sitting here is a group of girls who have defied many odds.”

He made eye contact with Abby, offering a small smile. Abby smiled back. She felt a hand intertwine with hers under the table. She looked next to her, Marcus smiling down to her.

“These girls came together from nothing and created something special,” he continued. “I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I decided to throw these girls together; especially, with Raven. I didn’t think she’d fit in at all.”

Laughter erupted from the table and Raven flipped him off. He grinned as the laughter died down. “They went from complete strangers to best friends to teammates.”

The girls all looked to each and smiled big. They grabbed their glasses and clinked them together. Coach Griffin grinned in response. He told them, “They represent strength. Hope. They’ve been through a lot with each other and they found the strength to push each other along. They found hope in each other when times seemed bleak.”

He paused for a moment as he watched the girls. “Through injury, tough losses, and disqualifications, these girls pushed on. They didn’t stop and give up,” he tipped his glass towards them, “they just kept swimming.”

The table erupted in claps and glasses clinking as Coach Griffin wrapped up his speech. He sat down and proceeded to talk to Indra’s dad. Abby sipped her from her water glass as Marcus rubbed his thumb over her hand.

“I’m so proud of you,” he told her.

She turned around to face him. She set the glass down and focused her attention on Marcus. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

He grinned and said, “You heard Jake. You guys represent strength and hope. I agree. You found it in yourself and held on to it.”

She leaned her forehead against his, a small smile gracing her face. “I had a little help from you,” she said.

He made it seem like he was thinking hard, settling on responding with, “Maybe.”

She grinned bigger and laughed, kissing him lightly. He grinned and kissed her back. Abby felt at ease. She felt as if she was back in the park four years ago, watching the stars. She was happy.

When she pulled back, they made eye contact. She whispered, “I love you.”

His eyes shone in the restaurant lighting. She could see the awe and adoration in his eyes. “I love you too,” he told her.

He leaned in for another kiss when Raven made gagging noises. The couple looked over to where she sat and she shook her head them, a small smirk on her lips. “Save it for the hotel,” she told them.

“Don’t,” Coach Griffin said, “my room is down the hall.”

The table burst into laughter as Abby rested her head on Marcus’ shoulder. Again, she felt at ease. She was happy, content. She felt like she was home.

All of that was ripped apart when she answered her phone earlier this evening.

She didn’t know what to expect when she got a call from the hospital. She didn’t expect to hear the words, “Ms. Walters? I’m so sorry to inform you that your coach, Jake Griffin, passed away earlier this evening due to a heart attack.”

Abby couldn’t respond. The phone had dropped from her hands and hit the floor. Marcus had looked to her and asked if everything was alright. She had barely registered the question as she ran out of the door.

Now, she sat in the field glaring up at the stars. At first she was in shock, then she was sad, and now she was angry.

He didn’t deserve to be taken away. He deserved to be alive and sleeping the night away before the finals of the Olympics.

Her feelings flipped back and forth for a while. She landed on sad again as she looked down to her necklace. A tear fell from her cheek and landed on the “1” side. She enclosed the necklace in her fist again, a sob escaping her.

She sat in silence again, the only sound being the wind through the trees and her sniffles. She shivered in the cold wind. Her fingers kept fidgeting with the necklace.

Footsteps were heard from behind her but she didn’t look back. A leather jacket was laid on her shoulders softly and the person sat beside her. They sat in silence as he picked at the grass at his feet.

Abby pulled the jacket against her, feeling safe inside it. She spoke, voice hoarse from crying, “He’s gone.”

Marcus frowned and looked over to her. She looked to him and she tried to keep herself from crumbling but she failed. A sob escaped her and he immediately wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his chest.

She sobbed into him, gripping his shirt, tears seeping into it. “He’s gone,” she repeated in a whisper.

He frowned more and rubbed her back. “I know,” was all he responded with. He let her cry it out for a good few minutes. He offered comfort as she came to terms with the reality of the situation.

When her sobs quieted down to tears and sniffles, he looked down to her. His heart broke seeing her in this state. He rested his cheek against her head as he watched the stars above. “He may be gone from the Earth but I know he’s still watching you.”

She was quiet for a while as she watched the stars with him. “How do you know?” she asked.

“You see that star over there?”

Abby looked around as he lifted his arm, pointing to the sky full of stars. Her eyes followed his direction and landed on the brightest one in the cluster. “What about it?” she asked.

He took his head from hers, looking down to her. Her eyes looked up to him and said, “That’s him.”

“Really?”

She leaned back against Marcus, eyes landing on the star again. “Yes,” he responded. “He didn’t leave you during your tough time after the Olympics, there’s no way he’d leave you now.”

Abby took that in as she watched the star. She felt herself begin to calm down, the soothing touch of Marcus helping. He told her, “He may not be here physically but I know he’ll always be around.”

Abby looked to Marcus. “How so?” she asked.

“Well, for one,” he said, “I could always hear him screaming outside the arena. No matter how far away he is, you’ll always hear him.”

Abby laughed, a sad smile forming on her lips. “You’re right about that,” she agreed.

He smiled slightly, watching her as she watched the stars. He continued to rub her shoulder and looked back to the stars himself. “My point,” he continued, “is that even though he can’t be here with us anymore, there’s parts of him still here.”

She watched the star, thinking about Marcus’ words. “Hope,” she told him.

He smiled and nodded. “He had hope in you guys and he still does,” he tapped the tightly closed fist. She slowly opened it, her attention being drawn to it. “This is symbol of that,” he told her.

She looked at it. The “1” side was up and her fingers ran across the engraving of “JKS” on the other side. He believed in them even after everything they had gone through. He never lost hope in them.

Abby smiled more, a single tear dripping down her cheek. She let go of the necklace for the first time that night and leaned more into Marcus. She watched the sky, letting it calm her down. “Thank you,” she spoke aloud, to Marcus and to Coach Griffin.

Marcus didn’t respond, just pulled her closer and watched the stars with her in silence.

+

“If the race wasn’t nerve wrecking for the Rookies before, it sure is now,” Cage commented with a shake of his head.

“Indeed,” Dante agreed, “Terrible news about Coach Griffin.”

“I was able to catch up with Abigail Walters before she headed into the locker room to offer condolences,” Cage said. “She and the other girls looked heartbroken.”

“Rightfully so,” Dante shook his head, frowning as he looked down to the pool area. “A series of unfortunate events have followed these girls since day one. Hopefully, tonight shines some light on the recent events.”

“We all hope so,” Cage agreed.

The girls were gathered by their block. Usually they wore smiles and were jumping around before the start of any race, but not today. Even Raven, who would try to cheer anyone up in a sad mood, was quiet as she fidgeted with her cap.

Abby looked to the bleachers, the same spot she always did, and noticed Marcus watching her. He offered a smile and a thumbs up. She smiled sadly back. He put his hand over his heart and pointed to the ceiling.

She knew what he was saying. He was telling her that Coach Griffin was still with them. He was in their heart and shining in that star. He then pointed to the pool and she immediately knew what it meant. Coach Griffin may be in their hearts and the stars, but most importantly, he was with them in the pool.

Abby grinned this time and turned to the other girls. “Okay, listen,” she told them. They all looked up to her. “We’ve been through a lot together.”

They all nodded in agreement. Abby smiled a bit more sadly, looking to Raven. “You broke your foot.” Raven sheepishly looked down at her foot before looking back to her. “Was recovery a bitch and hard? Yes. Did you give up?”

“No,” she responded.

“You kept swimming,” Abby replied.

Raven nodded, standing taller and wiping her eyes. Abby looked to Cece. Cece fiddled with her googles as Abby told her, “Last year, before a meet, you broke your hand. You didn’t tell anymore, you just shrugged it off.”

Cece nodded and looked at her hand. One of her fingers bent at a slightly odd angle now. She looked back to Abby. Abby told her, “You kept swimming.”

Cece nodded again and put her googles on her head, face determined. Abby turned to Indra who stared right back. “Indra,” Abby started, “You learned before a meet two years ago that your grandma passed away.”

Indra looked down to other wrist, a heart tattooed to her skin. It was one her grandma had drawn on a note to her when they first got to the Olympics. “Do you remember what you said before you jumped off that block?” Abby asked her.

“For Nana,” she answered, looking back to Abby. Tears glistened in her eyes.

“You swam your best time ever that race,” she told her. “You did it for her. You kept swimming.”

Indra nodded and grabbed Abby’s hand when she looked down to her own feet. “And me?” she spoke aloud. She took a second to calm herself down before looking up to them. “I got us disqualified in the Olympic finals four years ago.”

Indra squeezed her hand in comfort and Abby smiled to her. “It took me a while,” she admitted, “but I accepted the mistake I made.”

“You didn’t let it define you,” Raven spoke up.

Abby nodded in agreement. “I kept swimming,” she finished.

The all stood there, Abby’s words sinking in. Abby looked to each of them. “He told us, that last night, that we represent strength and hope,” she told them. “He wasn’t wrong.”

They all nodded in agreement. Abby felt tears in her eyes and she smiled sadly to each of them. Tears gathered in their eyes as well. “We’ve gone through so much together and we’ve made it out together. We never let anything drag us down,” she choked out.

She wiped one tear away as she heard a few sniffles from the others. She said, “This is just another obstacle thrown in our way.” She smiled sadly at them again. “He may not be here to tell us, but what would Coach want us to do?”

“Just keep swimming,” they all replied in unison.

Abby smiled big and cracked, tears falling from her eyes. They all huddled together, a mess of emotions and tears. Abby looked to them and said, “Let’s do this for Coach.”

They nodded in agreement and closed their eyes, standing in silence for a minute. When they broke apart, they put their hands in the middle. They all looked to each other, and with a single nod, said, “For Coach,” in unison and broke off.

Cece slid her googles on and stood by the block. She waited for Jaha, the referee, to tell them to enter the water. When they did, she gripped the bar like usual. She flexed her fingers around the metal bar, getting a feel for it.

“Take your marks,” Jaha spoke into the speaker.

The arena was dead silent. The world was watching, anticipating one of the greatest races that would take place. Not only was it chance of redemption for the Rookies, but it was a proving point. They could be shoved down, but they could stand back up.

They could keep swimming.

The beep sounded and Cece launched herself off the wall. She was determined to do her best. She was going to leave it all in the pool.

She glided through the water easily and her flip turn was flawless. She streamlined on the way back a good amount, further than she had before. It helped gain an edge on the reigning gold medalists in the next lane over.

Raven stood on the block, flexing her foot. There were no excuses for failing today. She had to show the world they were still in the running for the gold. She had to show them that they Coach Griffin taught them well.

When Cece touched the wall, Raven dove into the pool. Her entry was perfect, sending her into a long streamline. This also helped add another small edge to keep them in the lead.

She made sure her strokes were perfect. She made sure that they were smooth and that glided through the water.

Last time, the reigning gold medalists’ breaststroker was able to catch up with Raven. That wasn’t an option today. She launched herself off the wall, desperate to do her best for the girls and Coach Griffin.

Indra stepped on to the block, stretching her arms over her head like usual. She fixed her googles as she got into position. Right before Raven touched the wall, Indra whispered, “For Coach,” and she launched herself into the pool.

Abby helped Raven out of the pool as they watched Indra power down the lane. She made sure when she came up on her stroke she pulled herself far, exerting all her strength.

Raven was breathing hard and said, “I beat her this time.”

Abby smiled down to her, “That’s the Raven Reyes I know.”

She grinned up to her, squeezing her hand. “You got this, Abby.”

Abby felt a sense of déjà vu wash over her as her eyes went to go see Jaha. She stopped herself from looking at him. She concentrated on Raven and nodded. There wasn’t going to be a repeat of last Olympics.

On Indra’s turn she saw the other lane catching up. She pushed herself harder as she made her way back to Abby. She wouldn’t let her teammates down.

Abby got on to the block, googles on. She got into position, not bothering to look where Jaha stood. She practiced this enough to know she wouldn’t do another false start. Instead, she shifted her eyes to where Marcus jumped in the bleachers. He whistled through his fingers, giving her a thumps up.

She focused on Indra again, the race becoming her sole focus.

“This is it,” Cage commented.

“The whole world is watching, “Dante replied. “Will this be a repeat of last year?”

_Three._

She felt the eyes on her, not just the ones in the room, but the ones watching from TV as well.

_Two._

She smirked to herself a bit. She knew they were waiting for a repeat of last Olympics.

_One._

They were going to be disappointed.

She launched herself off the block, gracefully entering the pool. She didn’t let her mind wander and focus on the question, “Was my start good?” She kept her focus on the empty space in front of her and closing it as quickly as possible.

 _Swim like you know how to swim_.

She focused on her strokes, making sure she stretched them out and that they were smooth. No chopping at the water, smooth entry and smooth pull.

_Swim fast, swim well._

When the wall came into focus she kicked harder. She did her flip turn quickly, launching off the wall to streamline. When she resurfaced she put everything into her stroke and kick.

She only took a break when she was halfway down the length. She could hear the screams muffled through the water for the quick second she came up for air.

 _Just keep swimming_.

The wall soon came into sight and she kicked harder. She made her strokes faster as she made her way to it. Her lungs were on fire, her limbs were burning, and she felt light headed. She still didn’t stop till her fingers jammed into the wall.

She came up, gasping for air. Ripping her cap and googles off, she hung on to the wall, trying to calm her breathing. Stars flashed behind her closed eyelids.

All she could hear for the time being was muffled screams and a ringing in her ears. When she calmed herself down, she looked to the scoreboard. Her eyes came to focus and she found lane 5.

“They did it!” Cage exclaimed. “Again!”

“And this time, Jaha isn’t signaling a false start!” Dante added.

Next to their lane number was a number 1 for placement. Abby threw her arms into the air, screaming as she looked to the other girls. They all screamed and hugged each other and grabbed Abby’s hand in celebration. Smiles graced their faces and for the first time in a while, Abby could say she was truly happy.

Abby was still breathing hard as looked from the girls to the familiar spot in the stands. Marcus was grinning and clapping. He whistled through his fingers again. After, he placed his hand on his heart as he gazed at her.

She did the same back, smiling big. She rested against the wall, letting it sink in.

They did it. They proved to Coach Griffin that they were a team, all those years ago when he first complied them together. They defied the odds against them and fought back. They showed the world strength and hope.

Another big grin spread across her face at the realization.

They did it.

+

“Pretty neat,” Marcus said as he observed the gold medal that hung around her neck. “Not as cool as mine, obviously.”

She laughed, looping her arm through his as they walked down the arena hall. “Of course not,” she agreed.

“You still have that?”

She looked up to him. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s the first gold medal I ever won.”

He grinned down to her. He asked, “Have I ever told you that I love you?”

She smiled. “I never get tired of hearing it.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She giggled and cuddled closer to him. He told her, “I’m proud of you.” She smiled up to him again. Smiling down to her, he added, “I know Coach Griffin is too.”

She smiled more, a bit sad, and touched the necklace around her neck. The “1” side reflected the light from the hallway. “I know,” she answered. “I’m glad we could win it for him.”

He smiled and kissed the top of her head as they reached the doors. “You deserve it,” he told her as they stepped outside.

Outside the girls were being interviewed by a few news stations. A lady reporter walked up to Abby, asking, “Abigail Walters, would you do us the honor of an interview?”

Abby looked to Marcus and he smiled down to her. “Go for it,” he told her. “Enjoy it.” He kissed her on the head again before walking off to the side.

The lady reporter smiled and told her, “Abigial Walters, first off, congrats on winning the gold!”

Abby smiled, telling her, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It was very well deserved,” the lady told her. “It hasn’t been an easy journey to the podium, has it?”

Abby laughed a little and shook her head. “No it hasn’t,” she admitted.

“Many people would’ve given up after all the hard trials you’ve faced, but you didn’t,” the lady commented. “Through the disqualification and Coach Griffin passing away, how did you find the strength to keep going?”

She thought hard on the question. She looked to the sky to see the brightest star in the sky shining and glistening. She looked beside her to see her teammates smiling and answering their own questions. She looked beyond the cameras to see Marcus waiting for her with a big smile on his face. She looked back to the reporter.

With a smile, she told her, “You just keep swimming.”

**Author's Note:**

> WOOHOO! This took a long time to prepare so I really hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought, feedback is really appreciated! :)


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